Schoolhouse Review: 3P Learning -- Mathletics #hsreviews

A few years ago, we had the opportunity to review the online Reading Eggs program by 3P Learning.  This summer, we've been introduced to another member of the 3P Learning family. Mathletics ($59 per student per year) is a supplementary math program that can be used by students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade.  My 8th and 10th graders have been using it as a way to keep their brains engaged and math facts sharp while we are on summer break and not doing formal schooling activities.

Now, let me be the first to admit that math is NOT the favorite subject at Long Leaf Academy. Although it probably should be since the MainMost was a high school math teacher way back in the day, it's never been our strong point and I'm always looking for ways to strengthen my children's mathematical skills. Mathletics provides an entertaining alternative to stoic math problems.

After an easy sign-on process where students log in with a user name and password, there are five different areas that they can choose to work in:  Activities, Problem Solving, Concept Search, Rainforest Maths, and Times Table Toons.  Within Activities, students choose a category to enter and then choose specific activities within that category.  For example, my Eagle Scout could choose from Linear Relationships, Exponents, Functions, and even Quadratic Equations and then explore Fractional Exponents, Multiplication with Exponents, or Exponential Growth and Decay.  Students have the option of choosing something easier or something harder within each activity for individualized learning and challenge.

Within Problem Solving, students work on puzzles to strengthen math skills.  There are 9 different categories (these vary depending on the grade level of math being studied) and solving these puzzles unlocks games that students can play to reinforce skills.  (I wasn't a huge fan of the first game.  An underwater Diver harpoons fish to make the math add up.  Yuck.  But it didn't phase my daughter.) 

Concept Search opens up an animated math dictionary which is great for explanations of hard-to-understand math concepts.  Rainforest Maths offers additional math activities for students in K - 6th grades.  Times Table Toons is my personal favorite.  Here students can learn the multiplication facts in a toe-tapping, fun way through video and song.  As you can tell, there is a plethora of ways to help your child with math through the Mathletics program.  And there's even an app available for iPhone, iPad, and tablet so that students can go mobile -- perfect for trips to the orthodontist or sitting on the sidelines while watching soccer practice.

Not only are there fun math activities to be had on Mathletics, but there are also workbooks specific to each grade that can be downloaded and printed for extra practice.  There are 13 different sections of workbooks divided from early years to middle primary to upper secondary for both students and teachers and each section has 10 - 20 workbooks available.  Student workbooks contain 15 - 20 pages of math problems.  Teacher workbooks contain tests and answer keys.

Parents can manage tasks, check weekly reports, see certificates earned (bronze, silver, and gold), and assign work based on each student's scores.  For example, I can easily tell what the Princess understood and what she needs additional work on by checking the Activity Progress charts in my Parent Account.  Strengths and weaknesses are clearly defined.

Parents also receive a weekly report via email that gives a summary of the time each student participated on Mathletics, shares how many points they earned in math game play, and explains how many gold bars they have attained by receiving a score of at least 85% on any math activity. This helps you to keep your child accountable for time spent on the computer without requiring you sit close by.  You will know exactly how many times each student signed in to Mathletics each week and how long they spent working while there.   The curriculum activities are noted and the score obtained on each is given.

Due to summer activities (we've been to multiple camps, Vacation Bible School, and a DNow), I only required my Eagle Scout and Princess to work on math a few times a week.  Now that we are about to begin our regular school routine, I will be including it in their schedules on a daily basis.  I expect there will be no complaints.  The Eagle Scout told me today that he plans to work extra hard this year in math as he prepares to take the ACT.  Mathletics can only help his quest for improvement.  It is worth noting that although this is a supplemental program for online math practice and not a full-fledged teaching curriculum, animated examples are available for each problem in slideshow format.  This was helpful to both of my children as they worked to remember concepts that we had not studied in a few months.

You can find out more about this online math curriculum through the following Social Media:

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I was given the opportunity to review Mathletics as a member of the Schoolhouse ReviewCrew.   You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Schoolhouse ReviewCrew thought of this and other products as well (or just click on the banner below.)

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